It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
Remember.
As we all know, I am not at all musically inclined… I’ve always said that I couldn’t carry a tune if it had a handle. The only two places I felt safe singing was in the shower or in the car with the windows rolled up and the radio blasting. Until I got my mp3 player Now I have one more place I can sing safely – while cutting my lawn 
So I gathered my mp3 player and headed out to get my lawnmower today and as I looked up to see how Mrs. Robin’s nest was doing, what did I see? Three!
Fortunately Mama Robin must have been out foraging, so I didn’t upset her when I ran inside to get my camera and came back to take a few pictures.
I thought it was kind of interesting that the starting up of my lawn mower didn’t faze the babies at all – they just stayed there looking to be fed 
I haven’t seen anything in the other nest – but I’m suspecting it’s a sparrow’s nest. It’s really jammed up in a corner, so I don’t know if I will ever see if anyone is in there. I have seen a sparrow flying back and forth tho’… I’ll have to see if I can spy on that nest a little bit better 
Today is video day (mostly)!
Being that the nests are so close to where I’m in and out all the time, I really try not to pay attention to them so that the Mama Birds are feeling a bit more secure – but today I saw this guy peeking out of one of the nests…I haven’t looked inside either nest, so I have no idea how many eggs/babies there were/are, but it was good seeing this guy today!
Saturday I joined the family in taking my niece and nephew to Sesame Street Presents: The Body at the Buffalo Museum of Science.
I was bracing myself for anticipating a lot of loud, out-of-control kids running around all over the place, but I was pleasantly surprised at what a good experience it was. When we got our tickets we had to pick a time, so I think that they were limiting the number of people in the room at a time. We could stay as long as we wanted, but the room, while busy, wasn’t crazy and I think we all had a good time.
My niece and nephew were definitely the cutest kids there…
The exhibit was set up really well, with a lot of the favorites… Guy Smiley, the Count and among the other stuff was the famous steps at 123 Sesame Street, Mr. Hooper’s store and a kind of squishy obstacle course thing that was a favorite with the kids. They also had a huge nose that sneezed on you when you stood under it and pulled a lever. My sister was the only one brave enough to try that one 
It was supervised pretty well with museum people helping the kids all over and constantly wiping everything down with (what I imagine was) sanitizer. One of the things I think they were missing was people dressed up as the characters walking around. It would have been really neat for the kids to meet Big Bird or Oscar the Grouch…
At any rate, I survived it a lot better than I thought I would have 
Here’s $19.40 of the most happiness any garden could ever want
I finally got to the Amherst Compost Facility this weekend… the prices went up a bit, but they are still the best deal around. Not to mention the fact that the compost is gorgeous. Right now I have about half the trailer emptied – I’m hoping to get the rest of it emptied by Friday so that Saturday I can go pick up a load of mulch. The rutabagas and beets that I had started early are now in the ground and they look like they took the transplant well. The peas are coming up nicely too, but it looks like only about half of the lettuce and cabbage I directly planted are coming up. This weekend I will reseed the spots that didn’t come up and I still have to get watermelon and pumpkins started…
It looks like my fence is working – my plants are all still there 
And my hoop house? It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread! I’m sooo glad I decided to make one this year. Now that I see exactly what it can do, next year I will be able to use it to it’s full potential…
They say that there isn’t any more danger of frost after the last full moon in May, so after the 27th I should be able to take it down and put it away until next year…. but maybe I’ll pull it out in the fall and see if I can extend my growing season a bit. We’ll see!
OK – this is going to be one of those “Are you serious????” weeks – I can tell already!
Are they kidding me with this story????
…Wildlife biologists say an initiative to preserve New England Cottontail rabbits will branch out into New York, Rhode Island, and Maine.
There are so many of these guys around, it’s not even funny! I had to buy fencing to keep them out of my garden. I know my Mom can’t even have a vegetable garden or grow certain plants because the rabbits eat them. I also have a couple other friends that totally gave up on any kind of garden (veggie and flower) because of all the Evil-Garden-Eating-Rabbits they have. Egads!
Maybe if they were just trying to preserve the Non-Evil, Non-Garden-Eating variety of cottontail rabbits, I wouldn’t mind, but as it is, I think the rabbits are doing just fine on their own
Even tho’ I have some pretty definite political views, I try to stay away from that subject here. Today I’m going to make an exception.
I was reading some of the briefing that Obama Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton gave before the president’s visit to Buffalo. I can’t even express in words what I was feeling when I read this:
Q Some of your fellow Buffalonians are a little disappointed at the brevity of this visit. Why so brief a visit?
MR. BURTON: I share their disappointment. If it were up to me, we’d stay here for a week and I’d be able to take the President all over town and see all the great places to eat, maybe even go to Niagara Falls. But as I said before, the President has a lot on his plate. He’s coming here to have what he hopes is a very robust discussion about the economy. And we’re spending every second that we can in this great American city.
Are you kidding me? He would have the president here for a week and show him all the great places to eat? And maybe see Niagara Falls?????? Helloooooo – McFly!
Buffalo suffers from one of the country's highest poverty rates with nearly 30% of its population living at or below the poverty line. The unemployment rate in Buffalo currently stands at 8.6.
And you would take the president out to eat???
What about taking him to the dozens and dozens of small businesses that are failing or barely able to keep their heads above water? What about talking with them and finding out why they are having such a hard time? Do we think high taxes might have a part to play in that?
How about having him visit people who are unemployed and can’t find a job and letting him see how hard/impossible it is for someone who has worked hard their entire lives to get some one-time help while it seems like people who have never worked ever have no problem getting whatever they want forever?
What about visiting a ‘Joe the Plumber’ or two from the Buffalo area and take a look at his income. And his tax bill. And take a good look at what a person is left with in their pocket at the end of every year.
And what about asking these people (while he’s there anyway) what they think of his health care bill and what they think about the $2 trillion (that’s trillion with a ‘T’) he’s added to National Debt and now to our tax bill?
I’ve always said that Western New York is a really nice place to live. The only things that screw everything up are the politicians and the taxes. We need less government, not more. We need less taxes, not more. It seems like Obama is doing everything he can to make our problems worse. We are having enough problems with our state and local politicians – we don’t need any extra help thankyouverymuch. Taking him sightseeing and out to eat???? How is that going to impress on the president (or any politician) the problems that need solving?
Tune in tomorrow for our regularly scheduled program
I never got to the grocery store yesterday and I refuse to go grocery shopping on Fridays or Saturdays. That stems from my working-retail days and knowing how crazy busy it is then – I refuse to be a part of that madness. So subsequently when I opened my refrigerator after work today, this is what I saw:
Eggs. Peanut butter. Shredded cheddar cheese. Maple syrup. Maraschino cherries. Beer.
I don’t drink beer (practically the whole bottom shelf is for company). I didn’t feel like eggs or peanut butter and jelly (the jelly is in the door). So cereal and ice cream for dinner it was 
So I discovered a new word that describes me - Quirkyalone.
I've never felt obligated to date just for the sake of dating. When I dated anyone, it was because I thought that there was potential for a lasting relationship. Being single isn’t horrible to me at all… The way I see it is, if I find the right ‘someone’ that’s terrific! But until I do/if I don’t – being single is OK too. I’m the only one in ‘my circle’ that seems to think that way, so I thought I was really weird. Finding out that there are tons of other people out there that think the same way is pretty cool
From the website:
Quirkyalones are people who enjoy being single (but are not opposed to being in a relationship) and prefer being single to dating for the sake of being in a relationship. It’s a mindset.
Quirkyalone is not anti-love. It is pro-love. It is not anti-dating. It is anti-compulsory dating. We tend to be romantics. We prefer to be single rather than settle. In fact, the core of quirkyalone is the inability to settle. We spend a signficant chunk of our lives single because we hold relationships to a high standard.
Yay to revelations!
